I have an embarrassing problem. My sport bras have a mildew smell that just won’t come out, no matter how much I wash them. Any suggestions? Or do I have to throw them out and buy new ones?

Usually, it’s a buildup of mildew and/or bacteria that causes that musty odor — which only gets stronger in warm, damp conditions, such as during a sweaty workout.

Before tossing your bras, try a stronger detergent. Specifically those formulated to eliminate odors embedded in the fibers of workout clothes that most laundry detergents can’t budge.

You could also try such home remedies as soaking your sport bras in water to which baking soda or white vinegar has been added — or adding either of those products to the machine during the wash cycle.

Also, try to launder all workout gear as soon as possible after a workout. And once it is washed, dry it immediately and thoroughly.

Finally, when you do need new sport bras, look for brands with antimicrobial treatments, which inhibit the growth of bacteria.

Q. Is there any truth to the Internet rumor that the incidence of breast cancer is more than 100 times greater in women who always wear bras than in women who never wear bras?

There is no scientifically credible evidence of this, and the proposed mechanism — that bras prevent elimination of toxins by blocking lymph flow — is not in line with scientific concepts of how breast cancer develops.

Internet traffic on the issue is mostly inspired by one study with several scientific flaws. The study, never published in a peer-reviewed journal, did not adjust for known breast cancer risk factors that might be associated with bra-wearing behavior, like weight and age. Also, study participants knew the hypothesis before taking the survey.

Because the idea of bras’ causing breast cancer is so scientifically implausible, it seems unlikely that researchers will ever spend their time and resources to test it in a real epidemiological study.

It looks like big bums are the in thing in Australia at the moment, with flat bottomed women buying up padded underwear to enhance their backsides.

Jenny Tew, who designs and sells the garments from her lingerie shop in Cabramatta, said the padded undies are doing a brisk sale.

“They’re very popular. Everyone who walks past and sees it buys it, especially skinny people and Asian people because most of us have flat bums,” the Daily Telegraph quoted the Kimarie shop owner as saying.

“We don’t sell many to European women because they’ve got big bums already,” she stated. Tew, who came to Australia from Cambodia, made the first pair of padded underpants in 2006 after receiving “so many requests from local customers for bigger bums”.

She said she sells about 1500 pairs of the pants, that add up to 4cm to flat backsides, a year. “On party nights, I will wear them. They make so much difference,” Tew said.

One customer from Liverpool, who asked not to be named, said she bought a pair last year after seeing them in the shop window.

“It was new and I wanted to try them because I wanted to know if they worked,” said the 30-year-old Vietnamese woman. “Yeah, they give me more volume and look good with jeans,” she added.

Butt-enhancing pants may have taken suburbs by storm but a Myer department store spokeswoman said padded panties from a French label had not taken off.

Undie-cover researchers from consumer giants Which! found less than one in three high street bra-measuring services fits women with the right size bra.

As well as wildly different measurements of cup and back sizes, the customer service and general style recommendations were far from uniform.

One 75-year-old woman was even sold a Wonderbra-style push-up bra more suited to a 20-something by fitters at La Senza. We asked Sun reader Paula Keough, from Bermondsey, SE London, to test the bra-fit services offered by some of our favourite lingerie stores for size, style and general expertise.

Project manager Paula, 36, says: “I was last measured as a size 36DD about three years ago.

“I tend to shop in department stores and online because I find it difficult to find bras that fit me and are stylish too – most trendy styles only go up to a size C cup.”

“Although I was recommended different sizes in pretty much every store, they all fitted me really well – except for La Senza.

“So I would recommend getting fitted in your favourite store and assuming there is no such thing as a standard size.

“I was really disappointed with the service of some of the big-name high street shops. If you can’t offer a good, knowledgeable service, you shouldn’t offer anything at all.

“From now on I’ll go to Rigby & Peller or Selfridges – just because you don’t have a big budget, don’t discount higher-end stores as the service and choice here is fabulous and they often stock the same brands as department stores.”

Bras that pump up or down with body temperature and smooth out ageing cleavages are among hot new undies to be unveiled at this month’s Paris lingerie show, organisers said.

A Dutch-designed anti-wrinkle bra that can iron out crinkly cleavages as a woman sleeps, and a smart Slovenian brassiere whose foam cups expand with body heat when the wearer works out or flirts, are amid innovations at the January 23-25 Paris trade fair.

“High-tech’s playing a growing role in underwear,” said the fair’s fashion manager Sophie Morin. “Take ultra-sounds for example, now used as well as laser technology to cut and construct garments without seaming or stitching.”

Also touted is a range of French lingerie called Milkshake in a fabric made of milk proteins that contains 10 amino acids to hydrate the skin. “The knit is as soft as satin,” said Morin.

The cupless anti-wrinkle bra designed by Decollete is supposed to be thrown on at bedtime keeping breasts apart to prevent the formation of feared crinkles that appear in the night.

“I dread to think of my husband’s likely reaction if I was to come to bed wearing it,” said one blogger on http://www.truthinaging.com , a site that has already consigned the bra to its “department of daft.”

The smart bra from Slovenia’s Lisca boasts cups made of memory foam that ebbs and flows with body-heat — a NASA patented technology from the 1960s.

Some 20,000 lingerie types from more than 100 nations are due to attend the end-month Paris fair, bringing together more than 500 brands, including Brazil’s LZ, flying in with an ultra-light bra that weighs in at 67 grammes

Q: What’s the difference between a sports bra and a regular bra? And Why do I need a sports bra?

Kritika

A: Whereas traditional bras are designed to provide support, a sports bra is designed to support and also reduce breast movement. It has been estimated that the average underwire reduces breast movement by 38%. However, a good sports bra can reduce breast movement by at least 56%.

It’s a fact of life that most women’s breasts will sag over time. No amount of exercise (not even pecs toning) will prevent it. The reason is that breasts have no muscles in them to be toned. Ligaments are what attach the breasts to the chest. If these delicate ligaments are not supported, constant motion will break them down and erode breast support and positioning.